It Was You
by Shellie4
Summary: Steph is being hurt and Hunter wants to know what's going on. StephHunter
1. Default Chapter

Title - It Was You  
  
Author - Shellie  
  
Category - Hunter/Steph  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own any of the WWE wrestlers, though sometimes I wish I did.  
  
Summary - Steph is being hurt and Hunter wants to know what's going on.  
  
Rating - PG-13 for abuse.  
  
This story takes place after Vengeance 2002 (Where they signed the divorce papers and Triple H signed with Raw.) I wanted Coach in this story, so just pretend that he was with Smackdown, not Raw.  
"Hey, Coach, do you know where Steph's office is?"  
  
Coach looked up to see Triple H looking back at him. What was he doing on Smackdown?  
  
"Uh, yeah. Go down the hall, turn right and it's the third door on the left."  
  
"Thanks, man," Hunter said, and began walking towards the end of the hall.  
  
Coach stood there and shook his head. Some how he doubted that Triple H had changed his mind and decided to join Smackdown. Then why was he there?  
  
'Oh well,' Coach thought to himself.  
  
He had to find The Undertaker and try to get an interview from him, which was never easy.  
  
Hearing a knock on her door, Stephanie immediately stood up and called out  
  
"W...Who is it?"  
  
A second later there was a voice saying  
  
"Steph, it's me."  
  
Letting out a shaky breath, Steph turned around, so that her back was facing the door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
The door opened and in walked Hunter.  
  
"Hey, Steph, I know you're probably busy, but I just thought you should know there's one more divorce paper to be signed."  
  
Sighing, Steph nodded.  
  
"So, what? You want to make a meeting with our lawyers?"  
  
Hunter laughed.  
  
"Well, that was the idea."  
  
Keeping her hair down, half covering her face, she turned around and flipped through her planner.  
  
"How about Wednesday? At about two?"  
  
"Sure, that's fine. We'll meet in your lawyer's office."  
  
Stephanie nodded, saying, "That should be fine."  
  
Hunter noticed that she wouldn't look at him and her hair was covering her face. She was also very quiet, which was not her at all.  
  
"Steph?"  
  
Not looking up, Steph said "Yeah?"  
  
Hunter took a step forward and moved her hair away from her face. Steph jumped back, away from his hand. Hunter quickly took hold of her arm with one hand and with the other he grasped her chin. Looking straight into her eyes, he saw the fear that was there.  
  
'She's terrified!' he realised.  
  
He then noticed something on her cheek. Letting go of her arm, he brushed her hair away with his fingers and gasped. On her left cheek, just below her eye, there was a bruise.  
  
"What the hell happened," he demanded.  
  
Stephanie began to tremble.  
  
"N...Nothing. I fell, that's all."  
  
Not believing her for a second, Hunter shook his head.  
  
"Come on Steph. What happened? The truth."  
  
Steph was not about to tell him and said,  
  
"Why the hell do you want to know? It's not like you care about what happens to me anyway."  
  
Hunter took a step back and sighed.  
  
"Fine. You fell. You're right, I don't care. Just make sure you tell your lawyer to be there Wednesday."  
  
Hunter then turned around and walked out the door.  
  
Covering her mouth to hold back a sob, Steph collapsed in her chair.  
  
God, she wanted to tell him so much. He could protect her and keep her safe. But he didn't care. She couldn't blame him. It was her fault that their marriage had ended in the first place. If she hadn't lied to him, then he might still care about her and then he could make sure no one ever hurt her again.  
  
'Stop!' Steph thought to herself.  
  
She couldn't keep thinking these things. She did lie and now Hunter didn't care. She was going to have to work out her problems herself.  
  
On Wednesday at exactly two o'clock Hunter, his lawyer and Steph's lawyer were sitting in an office waiting for Stephanie to arrive. Ten minutes passed and she still hadn't shown up. After looking at his watch, Hunter stood up but before he could go anywhere, Steph came in.  
  
"Sorry I'm late. I was busy."  
  
Hunter looked at her suspiciously. The bruise on her cheek was half concealed by her hair, but the other half was visible. It had turned a yellow colour and she obviously couldn't cover it up with make up. That wasn't all. She had a split lip, which looked as if someone had punched her pretty hard and she had an arm around her ribs as if they were sore. What the hell was going on?  
  
"That's fine. Please, have a seat."  
  
Steph could hear the annoyance in Hunter's lawyer's voice.  
  
Making her way to her seat, Steph kept her head down without looking at Hunter.  
  
"Okay, now that Ms McMahon is here we can start things."  
  
Steph could barely hear the two lawyers talking. The pain was incredible. She had never felt anything like it, not even when she had been hurt in the ring trying to help Hunter. Taking a deep breath, she tried to concentrate on the conversation that was going on but was unable to.  
  
Hunter wasn't listening to the lawyers either. He was too busy looking at Steph. He could tell that she was in a lot of pain. He had never seen her like this before and just by seeing the look on her face, he knew it was serious. He wished he hadn't walked out on her on Smackdown. He should have made her tell him what was going on. He would, he decided, after the meeting.  
  
Steph couldn't take it anymore. She had to get out of there. The pain was blinding and having other people watching her wasn't making it any better.  
  
"Excuse me" she whispered, getting up out of her chair.  
  
All eyes were on her as she took a few steps. She just stopped, with her back to the three men, so they were unable to see her face. Then, clutching her stomach, she collapsed.  
  
Hunter was out of his chair and by her side in a flash.  
  
"Steph? Steph, are you okay? Dammit, Steph, answer me!" 


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, this chapter is for TheWolf. :) Thanks for ur review and here is the next chapter. There, I updated FINALLY!!! Lol, sorry it's taken me so long, had a bad case of writers block.  
  
Hunter paced anxiously in the waiting room, hoping that the doctor would come back soon with some news. When she had collapsed, his heart had stopped. He was terrified that he would lose her. His Steph.  
  
'Woah,' he thought. 'Where did that come from?'  
  
His Steph? She wasn't his anymore. She had lied to him, hurt him badly. Although he couldn't deny that he had seen a change in her ever since she had returned as General Manager. Maybe he should of chosen Smackdown. Eric Bishoff was an ass, everyone knew that. But Steph, well, he had watched her and seen what a good General Manager she was.  
  
Damn! What was taking them so long? Was Steph all right? He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't. She had become a big part of his life; whether that was a good or bad thing, he didn't know. All he knew was that he didn't want to lose her.  
  
"Mr Helmsley?" Hunter looked up at the doctor who was calling his name. He was an elderly man with a white beard and glasses. He hurried over and bombarded the doctor with questions.  
  
"How is she? Is she going to be all right? Where is she?"  
  
The doctor chuckled. "Woah son, slow down. Ms McMahon is going to be fine. Other than a few cracked ribs and some bruising around her ribs, face and arms, not to mention a split lip, she's perfectly fine. It'll just be a little painful for her, but I've written her a prescription for some painkillers if it gets too bad."  
  
Sighing, Hunter collapsed into a near-by chair and covered his face with his hands. Thank god she was okay. He had been terrified, thinking that maybe she wouldn't be okay. He really couldn't imagine his life without her.  
  
The doctor moved to sit besides him.  
  
"I was wondering if maybe you knew what happened to her. It's quite obvious that she is being abused."  
  
Looking up at the doctor, Hunter asked "What, didn't she say anything?"  
  
The doctor shook his head. "Ms McMahon refuses to answer any questions on the matter. But it is quite serious. There are traces of some old bruises and cuts, which have almost healed. This has been going on for a while."  
  
Hunter couldn't believe what he was hearing. Stephanie, his wife, was being abused. And she was still his wife. The last divorce paper wasn't yet signed. He was going to find out what was going on and protect her, like a husband should.  
  
"Can I see her?"  
  
The doctor nodded.  
  
"Of course. I'm just off to sign her release papers now, then she's free to go. Although, I must admit, I'm a bit skeptical about releasing her. I would rather be calling the police, but Ms McMahon refused to explain what happened and is telling us that if we do inform the police she will leave without the release papers."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds like Steph. Stubborn as hell."  
  
"She's in room number 302, just down that corridor."  
  
Standing up, Hunter extended his hand towards the doctor.  
  
"Thanks. I'll try to figure out what's going on. If she is being abused, it won't be for long."  
  
Shaking his hand, the doctor nodded and gave Hunter a smile.  
  
"You must care about her a lot. She's lucky to have someone like you."  
  
With that, the doctor walked off. Hunter stood there, thinking about what the doctor said. Yes, he did still care about her, nothing could possibly change that. But did he still love her? He was protective of her, even though they were in the process of getting a divorce, but were those the feelings of a protective friend, or a protective lover?  
  
Hunter made his way through to the corridor, towards Steph's room. When he reached the room, he stopped outside the door and looked in. Steph was lying on the bed, facing the window. She had a sad and scared look on her face. Just looking at her made his heart break. He had the strongest urge to take her away from all this. He knew it was silly. Stephanie was one of the strongest people he knew. Which was why this whole thing confused him. If someone was hurting her, she usually wouldn't let them get away with it. What was so different now?  
  
"Steph?" Hunter called out.  
  
Startled by the familiar voice, Stephanie turned her head around to face Hunter.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Stepping inside, he made his was over to her bedside.  
  
"What do you think I'm doing here? I was worried about you."  
  
Steph looked at him suspiciously.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Come on Steph. We were married. Of course I'm going to be worried about you. Please, just tell me what's going on."  
  
Turning around, Steph's gaze went back to the window.  
  
"There is nothing to tell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep."  
  
Hunter watched as she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. He stood there watching her, contemplating what to do. After several minutes, Hunter decided to respect her wishes and left the room. He would come back in the morning, he decided. After he had come up with a plan.  
  
Steph waited until she heard Hunter's footsteps fade in to the distance before she let out a sigh. She just couldn't understand why he seemed to care so much. Well, it didn't matter. Because there was no way she was going to allow him to find out the truth. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next day when Hunter went back to the hospital to see Steph, he was surprised to find that she was no longer there. She had signed herself out first thing that morning. He was suddenly angry. How could she go on pretending that everything was okay? Someone was hurting her. How could she let someone do that to her, and do nothing to stop it?

He decided to confront her once and for all. He was still her husband. It was his job to protect her and make sure no one ever hurt her. She probably went home straight from the hospital, so that's where he was headed.

Once he arrived at her house, he was surprised by the lack of security. She was Stephanie McMahon, there should at least be a guard waiting at the gate. Letting himself in, he took a moment to look around. Her limo was there, along with a car that he didn't recognise. As he neared the front door, he was surprised to hear yelling coming from inside. He quietly opened the door, not wanting to alert anyone to his presence yet.

"I will! I'll tell everybody about what's going on."

That was Stephanie's voice. He peeked around the corner and saw Stephanie and Chris Jericho standing in the living room. He saw Chris sneer.

"No one's going to believe you. I mean, look at you! You're pathetic! And everyone knows about all the other lies you told, they will all just think you're up to your old games again. Nobody's going to help you now."

"The only reason I told that baby lie was because you threatened me and Hunter!"

Hunter felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yeah, but it worked, didn't it? Hunter left you and you joined me."

"Yeah, because you forced me! You knew I'd never leave Hunter and you used that against me. Hunter making that stipulation that if I were pinned I had to leave the WWE was the best thing that could have happened."

Hunter saw Chris take a step forward and slap her. Hard. Steph fell to the floor. She covered her cheek and looked up at Chris with fear in her eyes. Hunter felt his blood boil. How dare he touch her? She was his.

Without thinking, he walked over, turned Chris around and punched him. Chris went down, and Hunter got down beside him and continued to rain blows on his body. He barely registered Stephanie trying to pull him off, yelling at him to stop.

As much as she wanted to see Chris beaten up, she didn't want Hunter to get hurt and knowing Chris, he would fight dirty.

Finally, Stephanie's pleas for him to stop registered with him and he slowly stood up, not taking his eyes off Chris.

"Get up," he ordered.

Groaning, Chris managed to pull himself up, with the help of the coffee table.

"Now get out, and don't bother coming back. Ever."

Chris stood still for a moment, before anger at Hunter for ruining his plan surfaced and he lunged for him. Hunter easily sidestepped him, and pushed him back to the ground. He looked down at him with disgust before grabbing him up and dragging him over to the front door. He opened it and threw Chris out on the porch.

"If I ever find out that you've come near Steph again, I will kill you. That's a promise."

With that, he slammed the door and turned back to see Steph leaning heavily against the living room wall, her hand over her mouth in shock. She was pale, which made her bruises stand out, and looked as if she might pass out. He quickly made his way to her side, led her over to the couch and sat her down. He sat down next to her.

"Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

Steph shook her head, still too shocked to speak.

Hunter put his head in his hands.

"Damnit Steph, why didn't you tell me what was going on? That he was threatening you? I would have protected you. You made me think that you lied to me. But it was really Chris behind the whole thing."

Steph nodded her head.

"He told me what to do, with all of it. He said if I didn't, he would go after you. I couldn't let that happen," she said, her voice choking up.

Hunter couldn't believe how wrong he'd been about her. All this time he thought that she was just some pathetic, conniving bitch, but it had all been an act to protect him. He thought back to all the mean things he had said to her and felt guilty. He was going to make it up to her, no matter what the cost.

Taking both of her hands in his, he looked up into Stephanie's eyes and knew that he didn't want to live without her. She had put herself in harms way to protect him, and that was the most amazing thing anybody had ever done for him. He just hoped it wasn't too late for them.

"Steph, I am so sorry. I should have known that something wasn't right, that you wouldn't do that to me on purpose. But I was hurt and I didn't want to think about it. I just wanted to forget that it had all happened. But now I know the truth. Please, forgive me for ever thinking that you would do that to me. I love you. I know I don't deserve it, but please, give me another shot. I promise, I won't let you down ever again."

Steph felt tears slide down her cheeks. She couldn't believe this was happening. He still loved her. She was getting a second chance. Removing one hand from between his, she reached up and cupped his cheek.

"I love you so much. There is nothing to forgive. _I _lied to _you_. It should be me asking for forgiveness. I hope you can. I want nothing more than a second chance with you. Please tell me it's still possible. Please tell me that I haven't lost you."

Taking Steph into his arms, Hunter held on tightly, afraid that this was all a dream.

"You haven't lost me. I can't believe this is all happening. We're going to have our happily ever after. Just wait and see. I'm never letting go of you again. Ever. You're stuck with me now."

Steph sighed happily. Yes, she was stuck with him now. And there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

THE END


End file.
